Back in 2009, I gave birth to my first child…a beautiful, tiny, bald little girl.
Ohhh how I was in love with her. She was just so precious and a perfect combination of her momma and her daddy.
I had dreamt of becoming a mother and my dream had come true. You see when I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and told that I may never have children. This made me want to have a child even more!
I knew that being a mother would not be all roses and sunshine and I knew it was going to be rough but I still wanted a child of my own.
Fast forward to 2009 and the birth of my daughter. I had no idea how my hormones and emotions would be affected during pregnancy and after delivery. I wish this was talked about openly with women who are birth.
After delivery, the amount of the hormones, estrogen and progesterone suddenly decreases, causing mood swings. For some people, the hormones made by the thyroid gland may drop sharply, which can make them feel tired and depressed. Progesterone, the most abundant hormone in pregnancy dramatically drops after birth and all plays a role in postpartum depression.
After 25 hours of labor, an emergency c-section, 3 additional days in the hospital to recover, we were finally able to take our sweet baby home. But after one day she returned to the NICU because she had jaundice. Another week in the hospital really took a toll on this new mother who was suffering from out-of-control emotions, anxiety, and fear.
By the time we got home for good, my husband had to return to work and my mom who had come to town to help me had to return home. There I was, a new mom not knowing how to take care of this tiny little soul. No family in town. I was home 8-10 hours a day alone (while my husband worked to provide for our little family) trying to figure out how to be a mother on my own. There were tons of books to help me through my pregnancy, but no books (that I knew of) were available to help me deal with out-of-control hormones and emotions and a body recovering from a c-section.
This then sent me into postpartum depression. This is something that people refuse to talk about because they may think that they are weak or just not want to admit that they have more than the baby blues.
My husband has always been a comedian. In school, around friends,and around family. Everyone who knows my husband knows he is the one to lighten the mood by making people laugh. I was so wound up and controlled by my hormones that I couldn’t even laugh. All I did was cry.
My husband found every funny movie he knew I liked and put them on the TV one after the other. What else was I going to do when I had a newborn stuck to my chest? I was glued to the TV. He kept cracking his jokes and lightening the mood when I was waaaay too serious.
His actions are what I believe saved me and brought me out of postpartum depression.
I am hosting a challenge May 14- 17 called, “Laugh More, Stress Less: 5 Days to Lighten Up and Live Well.“
I hope you will join me in adding more laughter to your daily life.
Laughter is literally a lifesaver.
Laughter saved me.